But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (NIV) Matthew 6:33
When my husband was studying for his master’s degree, we often counted our pennies. Once when we got home from the store, we found a box of groceries on our doorstep. After we had put everything away, my husband said, “God’s been so good, I want to give something back.
“Me too, but what?”
“You know the biblical principle of firstfruits?”
I was curious to see where he was going with this, so I said, “Yeah — why?”
“I think God would be pleased if we took the nicest items and gave them away.
“Like, who to?”
Before he could answer, the phone rang. It was someone from church asking us to pray for a family whose car had broken down on the interstate highway. A minister was taking them in until their car was fixed. Could we help?
We had our answer. We could take groceries to them. So I grabbed an extra yeast package, some olives, tomatoes, and peaches that someone else had given us, and away we went.
When we got there, we saw a very nice house. We were wondering if taking them food would offend. As it turned out, they did need it. The minister’s wife wanted to make pizza for their guests, but had no yeast or toppings for it! What we brought provided what she needed for pizza and a peach cobbler.
Does God provide for the little details of our lives? Yes — so much so, that a box of groceries and a basket of produce ended up feeding a student family, a family whose car broke down, and a minister who helped them.
Was God behind that or was it coincidence? I prefer to think it was God acting, through the obedience of God’s own, to provide for everyone concerned. We are God’s provision — given flesh.
~Cassandra Wessel
